Charlemont resident takes top prize in Beals Poetry contest

WINCHENDON – C. Desirée “Fin” Finley of Charlemont took first place for her poem “dear landlord” at the seventh annual Beals Prize for Poetry awards ceremony.

Janet Bowdan of Northampton took second place for “Collapsing Woman,” while Claire Keyes of Marblehead took third for “Icarus on the Empire State Building.” The ceremony was held on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon.

The competition drew 100 poets from Massachusetts and the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, with 10 selected as finalists. First place received $250, followed by $100 for second and $50 for third.

“I remember thinking, you know, the Beals, you’re only allowed to submit one poem, and this was one I was really fond of, and there was a lot of emotion in it. And I thought, ‘I’m just going to risk it.’”

C. Desirée “Fin” Finley

Each finalist was invited to read their poem before the winners were announced, with judges reading for those unable to attend. This year’s judges were poets Sara Letourneau, Karolina Zapal and Emma De Lisle. The event was funded in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council and Friends of Beals Memorial Library.

Finley, a writer and artist, has had poetry published in local anthologies, The Cape Cod Times, Willoway Journal and Brussels Review. She has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and won the 2026 Poet’s Seat poetry competition.

Her winning poem, “dear landlord,” begins with the speaker asking the landlord to fix outdoor lights before shifting to details around the home at night, from the stars overhead to a robin’s nest beneath the eaves. The speaker asks the landlord to be careful around the nest, where blue eggs have hatched into young birds.

Judges praised the poem’s humor, direct address and combination of prose and haiku. They said it explores the relationship between renter and landlord while capturing moments of joy and wonder in the life unfolding around the rented home.

Finley said the poem was based on a real experience, including outdoor lights that were not working and birds nesting around the home, but did not expect it to win.

“I remember thinking, you know, the Beals, you’re only allowed to submit one poem, and this was one I was really fond of, and there was a lot of emotion in it,” Finley said. “And I thought, ‘I’m just going to risk it.’”

As this year’s winner, Finley will be invited to serve as a judge for next year’s competition.

Bowdan, editor of the Common Ground Review, recently retired after 34 years of teaching. She was unable to attend the ceremony, so De Lisle read “Collapsing Woman” on her behalf.

Set at a Winslow Homer exhibit in Portland, Maine, the poem describes Bowdan entering beneath a large depiction of a woman suspended on a hook as she is rescued from a stormy ocean. As Bowdan, her son and his girlfriend move through the exhibit, she describes other Victorian images of women drowning or nearly drowning.

Judges pointed to the poem’s ideas of rescue and salvation alongside violence. They also praised Bowdan’s confident line breaks and said the poem showed how language and imagery can be “dangerous” and “alive,” shaped by layers of human and natural history.

Keyes, a professor emerita at Salem State University and the author of two poetry collections, said “Icarus on the Empire State Building” was based on a 1931 photograph by Lewis W. Hine. In the poem, Keyes compares the ironworker pictured high above the city to her brother Jim, a veteran who returned from war with physical wounds, headaches and night terrors. She later draws on the story of Icarus while writing about her brother’s experiences.

Judges highlighted the poem’s connections between Greek mythology, family and the physical and psychological wounds of war. They noted that some wounds to the heart and mind may never fully heal.

The remaining finalists were Mary Buchinger of Cambridge, Michael Favala Goldman of Florence, William James of Keene, New Hampshire, Elizabeth Lloyd-Kimbrel of Amherst, Kevin Thomas of Greenfield, Jake Tringali of Roslindale and Amelia Van Donsel of Winchendon.

Van Donsel was selected as a finalist for her poem “Company.” She holds an MFA in poetry from UMass Amherst, and her work has appeared in FENCE, Conjunctions, Bennington Review and other publications.

Van Donsel said she wrote “Company” for a poetry class while in graduate school. The poem moves through images of geraniums, love poems, children and memories of being in love.

“I was really interested in trying a poem that didn’t have any punctuation in it, and just seeing what kind of weird stuff I could get away without a narrative thread happening,” Van Donsel said.